Tip: Use Caution When Mixing Family with Business - Modern Distribution Management

Tip: Use Caution When Mixing Family with Business

Working with family members can be challenging if roles are not clearly defined.

Working with family can be rewarding, but it can also be challenging. To avoid conflict when involving family in your business, keep the number of family members involved to a minimum and assign clear roles to those who are involved, says BW Rogers CEO Rick Rogers in Succession Planning: What's Next?

\"TheDownload a Free Chapter:
The Little Black Book of Strategic Planning for Distributors

Submit your email address below to receive a chapter of Brent Grover’s new book. When you submit your email you will be signed up to receive weekly distribution news updates.

\"\"

Rogers has seen "unhealthy situations" where multiple family members involved in a business did not work well together, but this conflict can be contained by limiting family members' involvement.

Regulate family access to company assets, especially for non-working family members. Giving stock to non-working family members, for example, may not be fair to the company, says industry consultant Brent Grover. And providing non-liquid assets may not be ideal for recipients, either, so company owners should avoid giving non-stock assets to non-working family members.

Succession planning involving family is also risky business, since ownership succession doesn't always guarantee management continuity. Grover points out even if family members are interested in owning a business and capable of running it, they may not be interested in the management aspect. The interests and intentions of potential successors need to be clarified early on to avoid operational turmoil when the need for a successor (often suddenly) arises.

Brent Grover warns of other potential succession planning pitfalls in his recent book, The Little Black Book of Strategic Planning for Distributors.

Share this article

About the Author
Recommended Reading
Leave a Reply

Leave a Comment

Sign Up for the MDM Update Newsletter

The MDM update newsletter is your best source for news and trends in the wholesale distribution industry.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!

2

articles left

Want more Premium content from MDM?

Subscribe today and get:

  • New issues twice each month
  • Unlimited access to mdm.com, including 10+ years of archived data
  • Current trends analysis, market data and economic updates
  • Discounts on select store products and events

Subscribe to continue reading

MDM Premium Subscribers get:

  • Unlimited access to MDM.com
  • 1 year digital subscription, with new issues twice a month
  • Trends analysis, market data and quarterly economic updates
  • Deals on select store products and events

1

article
left

You have one free article remaining

Subscribe to MDM Premium to get unlimited access. Your subscription includes:

  • Two new issues a month
  • Access to 10+ years of archived data on mdm.com
  • Quarterly economic updates, trends analysis and market data
  • Store and event discounts

To continue reading, you must be an MDM Premium subscriber.

Join other distribution executives who use MDM Premium to optimize their business. Our insights and analysis help you enter the right new markets, turbocharge your sales and marketing efforts, identify business partners that help you scale, and stay ahead of your competitors.

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.